Tesco says its Express convenience stores in England will close at 7.30pm on Sunday if Thomas Tuchel’s side make to the World Cup final to allow staff to watch the match
Supermarket giant Tesco has pledged to close more than 2,000 of its stores if England make it to Sunday’s World Cup final.
Bosses say, should Harry Kane and the team overcome the might of Lionel Messi and Argentina, it will shut its Express stores across England at 7.30pm to give thousands of staff half an hour to get home or to the pub to watch the match. Its smaller stores normally close at 10pm or 11pm.
While being able to knock-off early, workers will still receive their normal pay for those hours, the retailer added. As the match falls on a Sunday, Tesco’s larger stores in England will already be closed by the time the match kicks off at 8pm. All stores will then reopen as normal the following morning.
Tesco Express stores will still be open as normal during the daytime on Sunday on what should – if England make it that far – be a bumper trading day for supermarkets and others shops as fans stock on beer, snacks and other essentials.
Customers needing last-minute essentials will also still be able to place orders with its ultra-fast Whoosh service until 11pm.
Tesco said all online grocery home shopping orders already placed for Sunday evening will be honoured and delivered as normal. Its stores in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will continue to remain open in line with their usual hours.
Kevin Tindall, managing director for UK Operations, Tesco said: “We appreciate just how much this would mean to so many of our colleagues, so if England makes it through to the final, we will close our Express stores across England in time for all colleagues to be able to celebrate with their family and friends.”
Tesco won’t, however, be closing its stores early for England’s massive game against Argentina, which also kicks off at 8pm. It means staff due to work having to miss out on watching the crucial encounter live.
Electrical chain Currys, on the other hand, says it will be closing its stores an hour early to allow staff to do so.
Matthew Speight, Currys’ director of stores, said: “We know how excited our colleagues are for Wednesday’s semi-final against Argentina, so we’ll be closing an hour earlier to let them get home to watch the match.
“Our stores will be open until 7pm, so fans will still have plenty of time to pop in and pick up a new TV ahead of kick-off.”
As many 26.2 million fans are expected to tune in for England’s high-stakes semi-final clash against Argentina, according to predictions from discount website VoucherCodes.
Many are expected to flock – as they have for previous games – to pubs, bars and fan zones to share the drama with friends, family and strangers alike, with some bursting at the seams.
VoucherCodes estimates seven million – a record for the tournament – will roar on the Three Lions in hospitality venues, with fans forecast to drink 9.7million pints. The surge will boost hospitality sales by £60.5million from drinks alone with an additional £37.8million going on food.
Trade body the British Beer and Pub Association has produced its own estimates and reckons pubs alone could serve an extra six million pints for the game.
An estimated 19.2 million people are also expected to watch the game at home or with friends.
Supermarkets and others shops will be the big winners with a £357million spending spree, VoucherCodes estimates. The bulk of sales will come from food and drink (£238m), sportswear (£44m) and electrical items (£25m).
